Victorian government announcement – January 7th, 2019

“Victoria has temporarily closed applications for nomination of certain business and investor visas.

Victoria is currently experiencing a high volume of applications for nomination for select business and investor visas. To help manage this demand, and meet our service commitments to you, we are temporarily not accepting new applications for the following visa sub-classes:

We will continue to assess all nomination applications received prior to 5 January 2019, however please be advised delays may occur in providing outcomes for these applications.

Your interest in the Business Innovation & Investment Program is highly valued and we hope to reopen the program shortly. We cannot provide a specific date or timeframe at this point, however encourage you to visit the Live in Melbourne website regularly for program updates.”

If you have any questions regarding Victorian business migration, either now or in the future, please Contact Us.

Business & Skilled Migration Queensland (BSMQ) temporarily suspends new invitations for business migration – will open again at a date to be advised https://t.co/nLPMWTsS2n— Australian visas (@CargilMigration) January 2, 2019

If you want to discuss how this will effect you, or plan for an application once the program opens again please Contact Us

Removal of occupations for Queensland

Queensland have recently announced the removal of a number of occupations from their State nomination lists. These occupations, in addition to 233914 Engineering Technologists which was removed in early August, have been removed due to the high numbers of Expression of Interest (EOI) lodged.

The removed occupations are:

221111 Accountant (general)

261311 Analyst Programmer

263111 Computer Network & Systems Engineer

262111 Database Administrator

261312 Developer Programmer

261111 ICT Business Analyst

313112 ICT Customer Support Officer

263211 ICT Quality Assurance Engineer

262112 ICT Security Specialist

263212 ICT Support Engineer

263213 ICT Systems Test Engineer

261313 Software Engineer

261314 Software Tester

262113 Systems Administrator

261112 Systems Analyst

313113 Web Administrator

312111 Architectural Draftsperson

611211 Insurance Agent

232511 Interior Designer

221112 Management Acct

233512 Mechanical Engineer

225311 Public Relations Professional

251511 Hospital Pharmacists

251513 Retail Pharmacist

If these changes effect your visa options, and you want to discuss what other opportunities there may be please Contact Us.

Australian skilled migration overview

Migration is a part of life in every nation: people are consistently looking for something new and want to have different cultural experiences, and the opportunity to share their knowledge and skills.

Australia is considered to be a land of unpredictable and wonderful nature, as well as a great place for job opportunities in a number of industries and professions. It is known as “the Land Down Under”. It annually attracts hundreds of thousands of people from all over the world, a significant number who want stay permanently.

In order to stay permanently applicants need to stay on top of the visa requirements and legislation. Immigration legislation is always changing and not everyone can get a visa for the Great Southern Land. Applicants primarily need to have the right education and job skills.

There are two predominant ways of getting a visa for Australia.

To apply for a Skilled Independent (Subclass 189) visa under the General Skilled Migration Visa program, applicants need to review the Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL) and confirm if their occupation is available for nomination. There is also a points test, based on a number of different factors.

If you are not eligible for a Skilled Independent (Subclass 189) visa then you can look at alternate GSM visas. These visas are state or territory nominated visas. They include both a permanent residency option – Skilled Nominated (Subclass 190) visa – and a temporary residency option – Skilled regional (Subclass 489) visa. You will need to confirm if your occupation is on the the Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL) or the Short-term Skilled Occupation List (STSOL). You will then need to to check if a state or territory will nominate your occupation, and whether you fir that criteria.

If an applicant is not eligible for a GSM visa, they can look at employer sponsored visa opportunities. Applicants who are offered a job in Australia may be eligible for either a temporary or permanent residency employer sponsored visa. The most common employer sponsored visas are the Temporary Work (Skilled) Subclass 457 visa and the Employer Nomination Scheme visa (Subclass 186) visa.

A job offer can also assist with a GSM visa. Either, by being able to claim additional points for skilled employment experience in Australia, or to be eligible to be nominated for a state or territory visa such as the Subclass 190 or Subclass 489.

In practical terms, if you are skilled professional and are specific in where you want to live e.g. Architect Jobs in Brisbane, you may find a genuine opportunity that you are eligible for. With a willing employer offering you a job, you may initially be sponsored for a Temporary Work (Skilled) Subclass 457 visa. Which may may then lead on to the permanent employer sponsored Subclass 186 visa, or a GSM option.

There are various employment websites that can help you find job in Australia, either before you migrate or once you have your visa. Rulla.com is one of those. Non Australian residents, as well as Australian visa holders, can look at websites such as Rulla to see if there are employment opportunities in the field and location that they desire.

If you can determine on the basis of your skills and education what visa you are eligible for, and where you want to do it, this will help you create the life you want in Australia.

ACT Nomination – closed for overseas applicants immediately

With immediate effect, as of the 23rd August, the ACT Skilled Migration program is closed to overseas applicants.

The exceptions to this are those applicants who have on occupation on this list, are applicants who have close ties to the ACT through family members, or a job offer in the ACT.

Whilst this is a disappointing outcome, unfortunately it is not unexpected. When we announced on our blog that the ACT 2017-18 occupations had been released, we also asked the question “How long will they last this year?”.

The answer is that it lasted from the 5th July, 2017 until yesterday. An improvement on the 13 days the occupation list was open for last year.

If this closure effects you, and you want to discuss what other opportunities you may have, please Contact Us.

PRIORITY PROCESSING

As of August 1st, 2017 VETASSESS will introduce a priority processing service for General Professional occupation applicants.

Applicants will be able to have their application fast tracked for an additional fee. The expected processing time will be 10 days. Full details will be provided on 1st August, 2017.

ASSESSMENT FEE INCREASE

A number of fee increases have been announced for VETASSSES services. For the majority of applicants, the most notable increase is in the Full Skills Assessment for GSM applicants. The fees increases are as below:

Queensland skilled occupations

Business and Skilled Migration Queensland have released their 2017-18 state nomination list. These have taken effective immediately. The full list of occupations that have sponsorship options are detailed below.

Subclass 190 or Subclass 489 visa nomination

There is a mix of occupations – some which are available for the Subclass 190 visa only, some for the Subclass 489 visa and some available for nomination under both visa subclasses.

ACT skilled occupation list – how long will they last this year?

Unlike other states or territories The ACT do not nominate applicants for the alternate state/territory nominated Skilled Regional (Provisional) (Subclass 489) Visa. This visa is a temporary residents visa. It is commonly acknowledged to be an inferior visa to the Subclass 190 visa.

Migrate to Canberra

Some surprise occupations

Added to the ACT list, and not seen on any other state/territory lists, are the following:

Copywriter

Newspaper or Periodical Editor

Print Journalist

Technical Writer

Television Journalist

Journalists and other writers

In addition the following can also be nominated:

Public Relations Professionals

Is time ticking…..

If your occupation is listed, and you are keen to apply, then the advice is to get onto it. In the last financial year, 2016 to 2017, the occupation list was only open for a few weeks before it was closed.

Disclaimer

The information on this website is intended only to provide a summary and general overview on relevant matters. It is not intended to be comprehensive nor does it constitute immigration or legal advice. You are advised to seek legal or other professional advice before acting or relying on any of the content contained in this website